Wednesday, January 27, 2010

because giveaways are fun

I decided to do a little giveaway to celebrate my third blogoversary (coming up next month) and also having 200+ followers (which is amazing to me--thank you! It's so fun to think that people are out there reading my little blog, which certainly was not the case when I started it!) Plus, giveaways are just fun. I really get a kick out of packaging up and mailing off a little parcel of goodies to someone who maybe loves homesewn goodness as much as I do.So here is what you get (if you are the winner): a linen drawstring sack with a log cabin-ish heart and patchwork drawstrings (which actually are a little clunky to draw up but they are cute). This is a little bag for transporting your Valentines and chocolate hearts to work or school.This book. I think my mom thrifted this for me awhile back, but it's a duplicate copy of what is contained in a larger volume that I own. I always browse through this each year for Valentine inspiration.A very dark chocolate bar. I became interested in super-dark chocolate after reading Nina Planck's book. She mentioned cutting way back on sugar and weaning herself from regular dark chocolate to the 85% cocoa stuff. It's actually much better than you might think! And very heart healthy, of course.A set of 6 of my photo postcards in a cloth pouch. I'm finding I really like the informality of a flat card instead of a folded one.Okay, so that's it! To enter the drawing, just leave a comment on this post. Maybe ask me a question if you want (which I would try to answer in a future post), or I'd love to hear what you like about my blog or which type of posts you like. Or you can just say hello, of course. I heartily thank all of you who read my blog, comment, or send e-mails. I love love love the feeling of connection and belonging that blogging has brought to my life. I do wish I could send all of you a cheery parcel.

I'll keep the comments open through the weekend and draw the winner Sunday night. Good luck!

What a lovely and generous giveaway! I just recently found your blog, I think linking from another, although I can't quite recall. I love how you can happen upon new blogs unexpectedly sometimes. I've enjoyed your blog since!

Oh, what lovely goodies!Blog highlights for me include all the pictures of your sweet family, the crafty projects, peeking around your home, noticing that we almost always have at least one of the same books on the go, and hearing about how you juggle all you do and yet somehow seem to have a really good balance and a positive outlook.It's an inspiring place to visit and I really look forward to stopping by each day.

I love the variety of your posts. I appreciate your sharing as you go through your beautiful son's treatments, how you let us into your special birthday celebrations, and give us great ideas of simple homemade items to create. I just enjoy reading this little piece of sunshine...thanks :)

Thanks for all the inspiration you provide on your blog. I can't remember how I stumbled upon your blog, but I'm thankful that I did! I enjoy reading about your cooking and the time that you spend together as a family in quality time.

:) Everything about the giveaway is so you! I just wanted to say Im so glad I have your blog to turn to, esp on days when things are tough around here, and I need a quick, warm pick-me-up to remind me that I all I need to do to have a beautiful & blessed life is to give of myself, of my heart, my soul. And not only is the world outside transformed, but the world within has changed too. Cheers,Avril

Your give away is beautiful and I love to be entered in the draw. I've been reading your blog for over a year now and what I enjoy most is your gentle approach to life and also seeing the sweet day to day activities that you do with your family.I'd love to see more books from your bookshelf and also more photos from inside your home, if you feel like sharing ofcourse.

Hello. I just had to leave a comment - I love your blog. At first I didn't really get you and thought maybe you where just too good to be true and giving us all (read: me) a feeling of not being good enough. However, I got stuck following your blog and I love that you share hopes, dreams, thoughts and how everyday life (which is the best) sometimes just alters everything and it's still beautiful and meaningful. Keep up the good work, and continue to be an inspiration. A question? Do you get enough sleep?Yvonne, Norway.

I read your blog because you are a real person living a simple natural life and love your family. It is kinda like home. Have a happy weekend! Good luck to the winner! Thanks for having your delightful blog,

I follow your blog all the way from Denmark, and I enjoy it a lot. Your photos of your family and everyday life are a pleasure, and I often think to myself, that this is what life is about: making an effort to fill our surroundings with life and beauty!

What a lovely and generous giveaway! I discovered your blog a couple of months ago and have been reading it through Google Reader. I love your photos and seeing the things you make. And I love the fabric wreath that is in the photo next to the drawstring sack; it's really cute.Thank you for the inspiration!paula_lemos at vodafone dot pt

A very lovely giveaway! I stalk your blog off and on. I love the posts about yummy healthy foods, and things you do with your family. :) I saw your post about organizing your craft area recently and that has inspired me to get my own craft area together! My husband and I are in the process of organizing our apartment so I can have my own craft area, I am really excited about that!

dear mary beth, as a mother of 4 children i like your blog very much. your blog is one of my favorites. it's like a cozy relaxing place. i like your thoughts and words, i like the fact that you try new things and that you tell about it: cooking, sewing, vegan month, another way of doing an advent calendar....i feel at home in your blog. sometimes also mothers need someone who pampers them. your blog pampers me ;-) i'm impressed how balanced you are. and i would like to ask you how you combine your work with your family life? is it difficult sometimes? second question: how do you manage your blog? do you have something like a blog routine? how do you keep on? it's a lot of work i think. i'm so in love with your giveaway and hope your 3th blogbirthday brings luck and sunshine to you and me. have a wonderful day*

I'm new to your blog but have been (silently) enjoying it very much. Thanks for the giveaway, the bag is so cute and the chocolate bar looks yummy! I've been meaning to ask you about the patchwork wreath I've seen in a few of your photos (including in this post). I love it and would like to make one. Did you use a pattern for this or just make it up?

I originally started reading your blog almost a year ago, and have been coming back ever since, admiring your words and photos 00 inspired in how you find beauty in life, food and craft. Please don't ever stop blogging! ♥

I would love to win this giveaway. I just moved from the States to Australia with my husband and two boys. Last week after buying supplies to make handmade Valentines for my little ones class, we found out they don't celebrate Valentines here. Gasp. I know. I guess only between couples, adults. This would be such a treat to get in the mail. Your blog, I stumbled upon it maybe a year and half ago and have been reading ever since. I enjoy all of it really. Congratulations on three years. It truly is a lovely blog. A question, what are some of your favorite blogs and do you ever read any of your readers blogs?

I love your blog so very much. I love the serenity that you create in the space, your beautiful photography, and seeing all the ways you mindfully create a warm and loving home. I also love all the clean lines and uncluttered space I catch glimpses of.

A question....I haven't sewn since middle school home ec. class (over 20 some years ago, yikes!) and really want to re-learn. I would like to purchase a used sewing machine to start. Could you provide some advice on what to look for in a beginners sewing machine? Also, any good beginning sewing books out there once I find a machine?

Hello. I'm Deborah from Kent, England. Don't pick me - it will be expensive to post! But I love all the things you make and it's inspired me to get the sewing machine down from the loft last week. Unfortunately, it's still just sitting there. I never could get the hang of the bobbin thing. I will do something with it soon, though, I promise. I love all the stuff you write about; your family, waldorf, everything and I have bought a few of the books you have mentioned. They're great. Thanks.

So enjoy your blog. Your real approach to living is just very inspiring. You seem to always have such a wonderful attitude--never negative or judgemental. I appreciate your simplicity. I look forward to more years of "knowing" you.

I love your blog! I check in every day to see if there has been an update! I get so inspired by your projects and the way you focus on what is most important to you in life. I made bean bag frogs for my daughter and 4 nephews for Christmas after seeing them in the archives of your blog! I'd love to own some of your beautiful handiwork!Happy Thursday :)

Happy Blog-versery!I have been keeping up with your blog for about 2 years now - I'm not even certain how I first stumbled across it.Thanks for the constant source of inspiration! Your posts add a bit of sunshine to my days.Best wishes, Tammy

What a great giveaway! Thank you for the chance to win! I really love the patchwork on the bag. I've been reading your blog for a while now, and I think I got here through some photos on flickr...I remember looking at some clothing you'd sewn and loving it and your photographs and then getting drawn in by photos of your home. You have a great style and I love seeing what you're up to. Thank you!

I'm another fan of your blog too. I find your posts very inspirational. And they always give me the push I need to give something a try.I love your postcards. Can I ask how you make them?Also, what type of sewing machine do you use? And when did you learn to sew?OK that should cover it! lol

I love your posts about your cooking and sewing and of course, your family. I keep wondering what town you live in! Ojai, Oxnard, Ventura? I know it must be somewhere out there.Thanks for your inspiration.

Hello! Thanks for doing this giveaway, even if I don't win I have to say that I simply LOVE your blog! From your blog, it has encouraged me to eat much happier and live more simply. I love how everyday things are cherished with your family.

From Canada, thank you so much for opening up your blog to us readers :o)

Hi, my name is Jenifer. I write two blogs currently. One on Montessori and stuff and the other is a story telling project that I starter as a New Year’s Resolution. I have been reading your blog for about a year and I really love how inspiring it is. You are a strong woman who has been through a lot! I love the little peaks into your home. It seems to me that your home is light and airy and filled with wholesomeness and creativity which is something that I aspire to. Thank you

I love reading about another working Mama who is able to squeeze peace, beauty and creativity into her busy life. Your posts are always such an inspiration. I also like how you don't sugarcoat--you let us know when you feel cranky (but I also love your pursuit of happiness as well!!!)

I would love to win this giveaway!! So generous of you. I am also a fan of dark chocolate :)

I enjoy your blog because it shows the everyday life that you share with your family....I like hearing about how you organize different aspects of your life....schedules, menu plans, goals etc...I love catching glimpses of your house and the warm, simple, clean decorating.I'm curious about how your parenting style may have changed (if it did) from when Jacob and Faith were little. Do you 'do things' differently with Dieter and Rainer???

I missed reading your blog and many others last year while I sucked up all the baby goodness in our house! Now I am back to reading and writing and can't wait to catch up on everything! I have soooo much to learn about you and many others! The boys look so great! So happy and healthy!

I enjoy reading your blog because, well, you aren't what I consider a flashy overachiever blog lady. You know the ones? Pitching for a book deal? Living full open to the world and capturing every. single. moment on the most expensive digital camera known to man at this very second? Trying to change the world, one blog reader at a time? For my tastes, you're the right balance of craft and family and life.

Hi,I'm Daniela!I have been reading your blog for ore than one year, each post you wrote!As I wrote you in other comments, I love the sense of joy of your pictures and in you kid's smiles, and I like reading of your cooking-crafting projescts..you are very down to earth and I like it :-)hugs Danielawww.ilcoltellodibanjas.blogspot.com

I truly enjoy reading your blog, it's very real. I also love your cheery positive outlook, on everything, you truly know how to appreciate the everyday things. I wish more of us were able to do this.Cheers.

I enjoy reading about your family and the simple but fun and beautiful ideas you share. Just a glimpse into your life reminds me to slow down, worry less and enjoy my kids as they are. And wow! Nothing like a giveaway to bring your readers out of the woodwork!

I've been reading for quite a while, I think my favorite posts are your crafty ones. I love seeing what you make for and with the boys. I also love your devotion to simple lives (wooden toys, etc) with them, and I wish I were better at that.

What a wonderful giveaway! I've only been reading your blog for about 4 months, but it's the first one I check every morning. I love your sweet posts and the love you have for your family!

I would love to know what types of thrift stores you go to. I've also been wanting to make the Mama's Bag, but just can't find any lovely vintage fabric. Maybe I should try etsy, but, oh how I would love to stumble upon some at Goodwill or Value Village. :)

I really enjoy your blog and have read it for over a year now. I like the peacefulness and thoughtfulness that you put into your home. It's something i'm trying to put in effect in my own home. Even if we just eat dinner once a week together i try to make it more of an event now...mood, etc. More thought put into it...

I love the contents of your goody bag and the goody bag itself. Once again, you have inspired.

I love that you are having a give-a-way. I love that your blog inspires me to get more organized with my life, my kids's lives, and my crafting. With all talk of love, Valentine's Day must be around the corner. I am going to create my own goody bag and send it to Willow, in the case that I don't win.

Remember that one VD party you had here in Lawrence? Besides all the fun Valentines we made, we ate Tempeh Reubens and they are still on my family's meal list to this day. As usual, you enlightened me to something new. In this case, cooking with tempeh.

Good luck. Can't wait to see which one of your devoted followers gets the fun of receiving that parcel in the mail.

Your 'heart' bag and goodies brought an instant smile to my face. Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays (I send V Day cards instead of Christmas cards) and I love when others get excited about it too! My favorite thing about your blog is the variety and seeing your great sewing projects! They inspire me to make time to do some of my own. Thanks for sharing!

Congratulations on your upcoming 3rd anniversary. I can't remember how I found your blog but I love reading it! I love how you love being a mom and how you are so intentional with how you live! Your blog inspires and brings a simple and warm feeling to my day.

Wow! What a great giveaway!! I don't comment much, but I really enjoy reading your blog. Everything about it is right down my alley. The crafts, cooking, home keeping, everything is so wonderfully put together. Keep it up! Leslye

I have been reading your blog for over a year now. I was excited about the way you celebrate life and special occasions. I have 2 sons: a 3 year old and a 2 week old baby. I love the way you make birthdays and holidays so special in simple ways. I want to make it about life and the special little boys they are. NOT about stuff. Thanks for all the wonderful ideas!

What a generous giveaway!!! I am a huge DARK chocolate lover...but I would be even more honored to receive your handwork! I've been reading your blog for over a year now and enjoy the inspiration of living simply and trying to balance it all (ha! I know, right?). Over the last year+ I've had to really watch my computer screen time, but yours has always been one I've followed!!Happy Blogoversary!<3

Hi! I found your blog while looking for some christmas gift ideas & have been reading ever since. (I ended up making everyone 'maya' bags because it was such a perfect idea - thank you.) I really appreciate your views on simple family life. It really clicks with what I'm striving for with my husband & daughter. Having enough and pursuing a life - not a 'lifestyle'. Thanks!

I stumbled upon your blog awhile ago, and as I went back to work and life got busy, I deleted most of my Google Reader blogs, but I've kept yours for inspiration. Thanks for the beautiful ideas and sunny outlook.

Hi I also enjoy your blog! I especially like the way you frequently end with a question to your followers...it is so endearing!! I've also gotten some great ideas and tips and just fun things I've downright copied from you...keep of the great work you are very much enjoyed!!

Hello! Thanks for the lovely giveaway. I just recently started reading your blog and you have already mentioned several books you have read. How do you find time to keep up with reading while doing all the other amazing things you do?

this is so lovely and generous of you...i am always inspired by large families, and especially crafty mamas with large families who make it all work. i have a blog too - you can check it out if you like...www.itslikethiscat.wordpress.comthanks! erin

Hi I am Lorena. I found your blog on another blog and was immediately attracted to the name (I very much enjoy unexpected delicious combinations).It has been a pleasure looking at beautiful things, reading about family and delicious food and getting inspiration for activities with my kids. Your blog has been a respite at the end of the day when the kids are asleep and the dishes are done. Thank you.

hi! I love stopping by your blog, I always leave with that feeling of having spent time with a really good friend. You write warmly and from the heart, the crafts that you do are awesome and I love the close relationship that you have with all your children regardless of their age. That is something special!

I just love your organization skills. You work, have a family, yet still manage to find "blogging time", "cooking time", and "kid time". You are an inspiration. I can tell since you've got older kids and young ones that you know how precious little ones are and how quickly they grow. I only have little ones now and so your constant reminder helps me on days I'm struggling! Thank you for doing this blog.

I've been reading your blog for almost 2.5 years now. I really like that you share recipes and a bit of crafts and parenting. All things that I like to have a daily dose of. I live in Switzerland with my three kids, but still don't have a blog.. : ( One of these days!

Thank you Mary Beth! I've been following your blog for over two years now ever since I google searched home-made apple chips - (which turned out yummy by the way) You have some excellent recipes and take the most lovely photos! Thanks for being a source of inspiration! I too would like to know how you manage to find the balance of time to blog and still focus on your beautiful family and be able to create as well. Happy Blog-iversary!

I really enjoy seeing all of the crafty things you make. I love the mama bag you made recently and want to try to make one of my own sometime. Thanks for the inspiration! and of course thanks for the giveaway!

This is a wonderful giveaway! I've been reading your blog for a little over a year. I love so many of the topics you discuss... natural parenting, cooking, creating a waldorf-inspired home, and crafting. I hope you keep blogging for many more years!

I love that Trader Joe's 85% "Chocolate Lovers" dark chocolate. Years ago, I decided to cut a lot of the extra sugar out of my diet. Over time, you get accustomed to it and things that you don't normally think of as sweet (such as almonds) taste sweet, and things that are sweetened,(such and candy, pastries, and milk chocolate) taste disgusting.

I found you through a friend's bog - and am so happy I did! I really love your pictures - and I too am a big postcard fan. What type of camera do you use and have you had formal photography training? Thanks for a fab giveaway - they are fun!!!

What a great giveaway! This is so thoughtful of you. That's probably what I like most about your blog. It's so obvious that you love your family and want the best for them. I love the personal qualities of it. Plus, you take gorgeous pictures. :) Thanks!

I'm so new to your Blog...actually I think I have been a member for a LONG time...but have found you again...you know when you first start out and go on a crazy"OMG this is awesome...a world of bloggers who are creative and can cook!" and then...well Life gets busy...but I'm back and looks like at JUST the right time!!!YAY!THANKS for the GIVEAWAY!Char

Hi, it's Kelly from NH. I love to read blogs. But there are a handful of blogs that I read for peace and as reminders of the simple life even when the world is crazy. When I have a rough day at work I love coming home to see what you have posted, whether it be a project, photography, or the day's adventure. Your blog is real, it is comforting, but mostly for me it is inspiring. Thanks for taking time to share your life's moments, I with a happy heart appreciate it.

so sweet of you to do! i'm a lurker, mostly ... but i do love reading your blog and seeing that we somehow have many of the *exact same* thrift finds ... and that we both adore trader joe's! i love your little bits of happiness that you find and share ... it's truly inspiring. keep up the great work, you seem like an awesome mama!

141 comments. holy cow. I so wish I would win, I love all your homemade items. But what I really love about your blog is the healthy approach to food. I am such a junk food junky and I have probably made more of your recipes than any other blog which is so unlike me, since again, I love junk food. Also I love that your a nurse. (since my son Kyler has had two kidney transplants) I tend to be drawn to nurses and then later find out that they are a nurse. so funny to me (and I wish I was one) Even if I dont win, GREAT giveaway

I just discovered your blog, and have already bookmarked it (and added some of your photos to my tumblr page - with link backs to you, of course). The colour of your wall is amazing, your beautiful artworks, photos, craft really stand out against it. What a delicious giveaway - I love the fabric heart on the bags; I can see some snippets of fabrics I love, and some I don't know. How special to win this prize!Ok - back to reading more of your blog now.......

Hi i am a new reader! I love the pictures and inspiration I find in your blog. I never thought to hang inspiring pictures in my work space. I have a small amount of space in our living room for my sewing and I plan to hang a shelf and a wire for pictures! Thanks again for the inspiration.

Thank you so much for your blog! I find your writing quite inspiring, especially when you talk about play and your little one, even when you don't even intend to, you're teaching us all a great deal. I would love to hear more about projects and maybe even tutorials! Thanks for the lovely/yummy/awesome giveaway! I have been reading your blog for a year now... time flies!

What a sweet giveaway. I am very happy I didn't miss it, and had I know that Trader Joe's had a chocolate bar like that I would have snagged one this morning while I was there. My question for you, for the sake of asking, is how do you find time to sew/craft? Do you set aside a regular time to be creative or is it sporadic?

Hello!I love reading your blog. It has a very good feel to it and I amazed by all you do and that you work full time as well! I love when you post activities you do with your children as well as the sewing creations you come up with. I'm guessing you don't watch a lot of TV in your house and I wondered how you keep the boys away from it. It's always such a struggle here. :)

Hi! :-)I love reading your blog! It's on my list of Favorites. You inspired me to get some fabric (I haven't bought fabric in years!) to make those adorable patchwork teatowels!Thanks for showing us all your ideas! Michelle

What a cute and literary sweet give-away. So, I've one of those stalkers, which read but normally do not comment. However, seeing this give-away, it reminded me of a very special family which I hold very dear. I baby-sat/kid watched for them a year while living in the US, and I'm wondering if it should be that I would win (wow there are 154 others in front of me) could I dedicate that present to them? As my Valentines gift for them? No matter what, I'll keep reading and learning from you.

Amy here the L&D nurse from San Diego. Wondering what you thought of the savory Calfouti recipe I sent you and if you decided to make a Valentines wreath.. mine turned out adorable and our Daisy Girl Scouts will be making a smaller version at the next mtg. Cheers to you and fingers crossed to win the giveaway- thank you.

Hello! I'm Melanie. I've been reading your blog for a while now, I love dropping by to hear how well your little one is doing! I also look forward to your cooking posts. I go through cycles of cooking three meals a day, then not cooking for a week. Reading your blog reminds me to strive for balance!

What can I say...I love your blog because (here are just a few reazons): a)I found you just around the same time I found out my best friend's 2 year old had a brain tumor and cancer (free of both now- YEY!), b) your a crafty mama like me. c)and you live in my native state!

Thank you for sharing such a gorgeous giveaway! I appreciate the peace that you bring to this space. Your simple creative style always shines through, it is lovely to see glimpses of your family life. Your postcards are lovely! I would love to do a swap of my photo cards for yours : )

Lovely giveaway. Your blog is one of my favorites. I enjoy your blog as it seems like I can relate more to your blog than some and it's always an inspiration. Keep up the fantastic work. I guess I have a question or rather a request. Could you please touch more about how you balance your family and work. I've been reading many fantastic books written from primarily a Waldorf perspective and while I love them it's my opinion that they can be hard on the working mom such as myself. I believe that our family has finally found a wonderful rhythm but I my heart is still conflicted.

About Me

Thanks for visiting my blog. I'm wife to Ken, stepmom to Ben, and mom to Jacob and Faith, Dieter and Rainer. I like the domestic scene, salty/sweet combos, recipe reviews, the smell of rosemary, babies, the feeling of having exercised, hand clapping rhymes, books, Friday Night Lights, teacups, and laundry that has been washed, dried, folded and put away.
My Faerie MB blog explores what to wear when you are 40+. But everyone is welcome, of course!